Team:Gifu/HP/Gold
HUMAN PRACTICES
Introduce iGEM for Ogakikita senior high school
We were requested a presentation about the activity of iGEM Gifu by Ogakikita senior high school which is specified in the super global high school. So we introduced our activity to them. Our activity, iGEM, led us to create the chance which do some wide range activities. We received some questions about our usually activities, so we could have a time to evaluate our activities. And students might have desire to enter the university that they can do what they want to do.
Interacting with Gifu senior high school of agriculture & forestry students
We participated in social gathering held by Gifu university for Gifu senior high school of agriculture & forestry. In there, professor of Gifu university presented their study. And also, high school students presented their study. They discussed their study and shared information about science.
We talked about science topics with them. We knew what high school students were thinking. So we could get good experience for future actions. And high school students might get more spread world. We had a good time for each other.
Survey of the Droppings damage in Echizen city, Fukui prefecture
In recent years, urbanization in Japan is advanced, so the environment has changed. Therefore, it has been an increase in the Droppings damage in urban areas. Of course Echizen city is no exception.
We were able to get research funds from an organization in Echizen city. This city assists people and teams who would like to some activities that contribute to local life in there.
To give some basic background information, there are some places in Echizen city that are polluted due to birds’ droppings. We therefore made a presentation in Echizen city because we thought that our study could help to solve the problem.
After the presentation, we conducted a field survey to check the circumstances of birds’ droppings in Echizen city. In the field survey, we found some birds’ droppings under some utility poles, but we weren’t able to find the terribly polluted place. However, the city officer and local resident told that there were some polluted places and many wild birds in Echizen city few years ago.
Though we had testimonies, why we were not able to find terribly polluted place. We thought this reason. The action of the wild bird becomes active at the beginning of September. So, we thought that the season of our survey was not suitable. We should conduct the survey, when the wild birds were active.
Survey of the damage associated with birds in Gifu city
Through the research that we had done at Echizen city, we thought that we should do some practice researches at familiar places. So, we interviewed the students in Gifu University and identified the place which was badly soiled by bird droppings. At that place, people are troubled by the crying and droppings of birds which collect every night for more than a half year. We carried out a research after sunset, and saw a cloud of the birds which were standing on the electric wire (shown below). We identified that the birds were starling and estimated that there are more than 1,000 birds [/2500m2]. From the movie shown below (click "the movie of birds"), we can know how loud the noise is. Also, the road were covered with a lot of white droppings as shown in Figure2. Through this research, we found out that the pollution was caused by not only the cormorats but also the migratory birds like the starling and troubling the people who live not only near the river but also in the town.
We confirmed whether the dropping (uric acid) is decomposed by the constructed E. coli which has a gene coding uricase. [shown in Project]
the movie of birds
Introduction of synthetic biology at High Schools
We made presentation at Ogaki Higashi High School and the natural science club of Gifu Kita High School. The presentation was consisted of genetic recombination technology and synthesize biology. The purpose was to get the recognition and understanding about genetic recombination technology and synthesize biology in the society.
At the lecture, many students asked about iGEM and genetic recombination technology. To my delight, there was a student who was interested in iGEM. She said “I want to study genetic modification”
Furthermore, we carried out questionnaires before and after of the presentation. The purpose of the questionnaires was to investigate how the High School students recognized about genetic recombination technology and synthesize biology. The following graphs are the results of the questionnaires.
Q4. Do you think you want to use these commodity?
As a result of before survey Q1, Q2 and Q3, the recognition of the genetic recombination technology was very high, but the recognition of the synthesize biology was very low. In addition, when we compared the result of the before survey Q5 and the after survey Q4, we understood how students have impression of a product using the genetic recombination technology. In the before survey, the favorable answer to food was 63%, cosmetics was 18% and medicine was 45%. However, in the after survey, the favorable answer to food was 50%, cosmetics was 18% and medicine was 83%.
So, we found that the impression of genetically modified food was not so good in the society. Furthermore, as a result of the after survey, there were many favorable opinions that they accept convenience and universality of the medicine using genetic recombination technology and synthesize biology. But, there were many opinions that they worry about safety for the food. So, it is thought that the future problem in the study on synthesize biology is to prove the unknown risk, and to secure safety based on it.
